I'll Follow You
by Leaded-Pegasus
Summary: A one-shot of the many things to come for Percy and Annabeth during their time in Tartarus. Inspired by the song "Into The Past," by Nero. Also, watch for spoilers for MoA...


**A/N: Well, I got a sudden spark of inspiration while listening to a song, and this is what I wrote. If you want to listen to the song, it's called "Into The Past," by Nero. This is one of the things I sort of imagine playing out while Percy and Annabeth are trapped in Tartarus during HoH, so here's of a one-shot for you guys…  
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* * *

I'll Follow You

Annabeth's heart was racing rapidly along with her breathing as she and Perseus trudged along. She was so petrified with fear that it was difficult to think, and it was one of the good days. Well, as far as a "good" day went trapped in the hell called Tartarus. The only thing keeping her from practically having a nervous breakdown was the fact that Percy kept her hand clamped in his. And from how much his own hand was trembling, she had a hunch that it was what was keeping him from breaking down himself. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore,

"Percy-can we please take a rest? Just for a minute. Please." Annabeth nearly begged at the sight of his face. He appeared to be so determined, so mind-set to get them out of there. Even if he knew that they weren't going to get out of there anytime soon, he always refused to let himself sit still for a split second.

He finally muttered in a faraway voice, "Yeah. Sure, Annabeth." And while Percy helped her sit down, he himself didn't. She studied Percy with concern as he checked around for monsters, which were quite plentiful.

"You should take a break, Percy. You haven't slept in days." He didn't answer. It had been like that for a while now, like talking to a wall. But what made it all the more painful was the fact that it wasn't just any random person, but Percy. Percy, the snarky, ridiculous guy who seemed to almost always have his emotions under check. But not this time. Deep down, something was cracking in him. Tartarus was beginning to take its toll on the two of them and breaking them, and even more so in Percy. He was beginning to take a second personality entirely, and his temper was flaring up more than ever had in the entire time she had known him.

"We should get going." He commanded in a steely voice.

"Are you sure? You really should rest for a little bit, Perce."

"I said," Percy snapped as he lashed around and looked at her, "We should get going!"

Annabeth recoiled at this, wincing.

Percy sighed, "Sorry."

"It's fine," She looked up to stare at his sea green eyes, and for a split second, the real Percy was there as he held out his hand, smiling weakly. Annabeth hesitantly took it and her frown deepened as the other Percy came back into play. Percy's usual warm and comforting hand almost felt cold…dead, even, in her own. It felt anything but safe. Percy's presence now felt like being in the presence of a bomb, or a madman, ready to detonate or go rampant in the blink of an eye. They trekked on in silence across the barren land.

* * *

"Hey, I found some water." Percy's weakened voice carried out to her in the small alcove they were concealed in. He stumbled over, holding out a small shell of sorts, presumably filled with the said water. But from the combination of his stumbled gait and pure exhaustion, it didn't bode over well. The shell rolled out of his trembling hand and shattered on the boulders underneath them.

"Percy, it's all right. We can just get some more." Annabeth quickly chided, fearing that he would go ballistic over this, considering how short his patience was now.

"No, we can't just _get some more_, Annabeth. That's all there was!" He shouted.

"Shh!" Annabeth hissed, "Percy, _please_ keep your voice down. We're not alone down here."

Percy growled impatiently, "Fine, Annabeth. Whatever _you_ want."

"No," Annabeth quickly replied, "It's really fine. We can go without water for a little longer."

"Yeah, a little longer," Percy spat, "That was the first water we've seen since you got us trapped down here!"

"_I_ got us trapped down here?" Annabeth said is disbelief, "Percy, this isn't my fault!"

He sneered, "Oh don't be so modest. I mean, come on. Who was the one who got pulled down towards Tartarus first? It certainly wasn't me. I also know who else it wasn't either. It wasn't Frank, it wasn't Jason, and it definitely wasn't Piper!" As Percy reeled off names, Annabeth slowly felt her own patience growing thin, until it finally shattered into pieces.

"Stop! Just stop! Will you just stop and think to yourself how you're acting? For starters, you're certainly not acting how the _real_ Percy would act!"

He scoffed, "I can't even listen to you right now." Percy bolted up from his spot in the alcove, as he clicked Riptide. Annabeth watched as he crawled out towards the entrance.

"Where are you going?"

"Away from you. Find your own way to the Doors, because I'm not helping you anymore." Percy disappeared as he stepped out into the darkness and his footsteps slowly faded. Annabeth sat in the cave, barely moving as she tried to process what had just happened. He had just left her all alone. Annabeth prayed that it was just out of anger, and that he needed to just blow off some steam. An hour went by. Followed by another. And another. She began to gradually get more and more worried as each hour passed. She gripped the handle of her knife until her knuckles turned white. If there was one thing that was certain, she wasn't going to let Percy wander out any longer than she had already let him. Annabeth had already lost him once, and she wasn't going to lose him again. Annabeth unsheathed her blade and stepped out of the alcove.

* * *

Annabeth limped through the dead fields of Tartarus, searching high and low for Perseus. She snapped to attention at the faintest hint of movement, or the tiniest interval of noise. Though in contrast, not a single monster had been seen or heard, which was strange, and very unnerving. Annabeth froze suddenly when she heard something that made her heart sink to her stomach: whimpering.

"Percy?" She called, trying to ignore the crack that she had uttered in the middle of his name.

"Annabeth," A helpless voice called out.

"Percy?" Annabeth called out a second time, searching desperately. Out of the tall, blackened grass, a hand shot up and grabbed her leg. She screamed, but she got control of herself when she realized who it was. Annabeth collapsed to the ground as she pushed the grass out of the way. A cry escaped her throat at the sight she found. Percy was sprawled out in the grass, bleeding heavily and struggling with his breaths. She put a shaking hand out towards the large gashes dashed across his now torn-open chest, but retracted it before she could touch it.

"What happened?" She nearly sobbed.

Percy gasped for breath as he opened his mouth, "There was-a monster. Sneak attack."

Annabeth caressed his cheek, beckoning him into silence. She was too worried for his well-being now to even think about what had happened between them earlier.

"We have to get this patched up. Or else…" She trailed off, not wanting to think of what was to happen if the bleeding wasn't stopped, or at least slowed a little. Percy took Annabeth's hand into his own, staring up at her with a bewildered look on his face,

"I can barely remember anything that's happened down here. It's so…hazy."

"I know, Percy. I know." She bit her lip, fighting back the prying tears that were stinging in the corners of her eyes. He continued to ramble on, and she let him. It forced her concentration on his wounds more, because if she were to listen to him for another second, she knew she wouldn't be able to handle it. With his T-shirt he had been wearing, or what was left of it, she tore into strips for bandages. But the wounds bled right through her makeshift patches, and she realized that they couldn't go much longer without actual medical supplies. The small pieces of Ambrosia were nowhere to be found, and their few drops of nectar that they had salvaged had been drunk soon after they fell.

"We should keep going. We're close to the Doors. I can feel it." Percy muttered.

"No," Annabeth said forcefully, "You need to stay still, even if it's only for a little while."

She lay down beside him before burying herself in the crook of his arm. He put his arm around her, pulling Annabeth closer.

"Sleep for a little while," Percy said, "I'll keep watch."

"I can't. Not when you're like this."

Percy laughed. Not a hollow, soulless laugh, but one filled with charm and humor. Just like the old Percy before they fell into this situation, "You and I both know I've had worse injuries than this. I'll be fine. Now go to sleep."

They said nothing more after that. Annabeth remained still under the confines of Percy's arm. His breathing was uneven, but quiet. A strike of guilt when through her over the fact that there was absolutely nothing she could do for his pain. But she was thankful that he wasn't any worse than he was now, and that she had found him when she had. Aside from all of the cruel and awful things he had said and done over the past few days, she knew that deep down, Percy was still there, as he had been just a minute ago. And even if it had been just a short minute, it allowed her to rest easy.

"You still there, Seaweed Brain?" She mumbled, half-awake.

"I'm still here, Wise Girl. I'm not going anywhere."

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**A/N: Ta-da…This is one of the few times I've written from Annabeth's POV, and it's a nice change from writing from Percy's POV.** **I hope you guys enjoyed reading, even if it was a little angsty.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Leaded-Pegasus**


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